A Relationship That Persevered Through Disaster

Faith Focused Dating - Grow in Faith, Fall in Love.

Lucy joined CatholicMatch in May 2013, very much aware of both the promises and the potential pitfalls that could await in the world of online dating. She was concerned about the question of honesty—were the men she was going to meet be the same in the real world as they were in their profile? Yet, at the same time, she saw it “as something potentially wonderful” and liked the framework that CatholicMatch provided.

“I liked the questions and clarity (of the online profile),” she said. It only took the 23-year-old from the Denver area a week to get a message from someone who interested her. In fact, she got several messages. Daniel, the same age as her, and living only an hour-plus drive away, was reaching out. But Lucy just had a free profile and had not yet upgraded to full membership.

After much prayer—specifically a novena to St. Anthony and to St. Joseph—Lucy decided Daniel was worth responding to, so she upgraded to full membership and replied. Their communication got off to a good start, but it still took a few months to actually get together because a literal disaster got in their way.

The worst fire in the history of Colorado, the Black Forest Fire, hit the state in the summer of 2013, and Daniel lived in the area that had to be evacuated. Thankfully, he was able to return to his home. And while the temporary interruption of email communication between him and Lucy can’t compare to the broad disaster that led to nearly 500 homes destroyed, it was a short-term consequence.

Allowing for the interruption in communication, Daniel and Lucy emailed and texted back and forth until September 2013. Lucy liked what she was learning about him. “I was persuaded to get to know him better by his kindness and his natural positive—and very Catholic—outlook on life.” She was also being cautious in how quickly she got involved with anyone and appreciated how accepting Daniel was of her boundaries.

When they met in person and had dinner with her family, the connection and chemistry accelerated. “I loved how much fun he was in all of the right ways,” Lucy recalled. It started with Daniel’s great love for the Catholic Church, and extended to his niece and nephew. She was immediately impressed with his kindness to his family—something that he easily and naturally extended to her younger siblings.

“He was just so perfect in every way and I felt at peace,” Lucy said. “I knew that Jesus had worked it out so perfectly.”

Daniel saw what he had in Lucy and didn’t waste time. In November, they went on a date in the mountains. He had a family engagement ring, one that went back four generations. It was in the beautiful Rocky Mountains that he knelt down and asked Lucy to be his wife, and she said yes. They will be married later this month.

“I had always wanted to be married very much and I knew that it was my calling from God,” Lucy said. “I tried very hard to do my part in letting the man seek out the woman and to focus on being the kind of person God wants me to be.” Being that person led her to the man she was intended to be with.